A 24-year-old Thanet man offered children up to £5,000 to send him disgusting sex images after befriending them on Facebook.

Anton Oddy targeted six girls, aged between nine and 15 years, and then encouraged them to "play a game" online.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how during a three month period Oddy contacted the girls and told them his "game" included swapping lewd pictures.

Prosecutor Richard Merz said Oddy offered them between £200 to £5,000 to send him images of their private parts.

"He began chatting with one victim who told him that she was nine years old."

Mr Merz added that Oddy then asked if she wanted to "play a game" and then asked her a range of sex questions about her clothing, calling her "sexybaby".

Oddy then sent her an image of his penis and requested a picture of her "minnie" - a reference to her private parts.

He admitted six sex charges of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and was jailed for two years and eight months.

Judge Heather Norton told him: "You are a dangerous offender. You pose a considerable risk of causing serious harm to children.

"These were planned offences and carried out to a particular pattern."

A psychiatrist who examined him concluded he had "displayed considerable guile."

Oddy, of Sea Road, Westgate-on-Sea was arrested after police were told he had sex images on his mobile phone.

"You pose a considerable risk of causing serious harm to children" - Judge Heather Norton

Mr Merz said detectives then discovered he had used free Facebook profiles to communicate with a 13-year-old, unsuccessfully offering her £200 for images which she refused to send.

He tried the same tactic with another nine-year-old who told him to:"F*** off, I am not just a silly child!"

Oddy later twice offered a 12-year-old victim £5,000 "for 10 minute to play a game" and asked her for her telephone number.

The prosecutor added that the pervert then offered a 15-year-old £200 for an image.

Peter Forbes, defending, said Oddy had been diagnosed with mental health difficulties, including ADHD and other learning difficulties, and asked the judge not to jail him.

The judge also banned him from using social media - including Facebook, Snapchat - for life and will remain on the Sex Offences Register.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Oddy is a dangerous sexual predator who used the internet to carry out these despicable crimes.

“At the other end of the screen were real, vulnerable young girls and his abhorrent behaviour will have had a mental and emotional impact on them. We hope they are receiving all the support available to help them overcome their ordeal.

“To protect young people from the dangers of the online world the NSPCC recommends that parents talk to their children on a regular basis about the sites and apps they use. Advice on how to start those conversations can be found on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk”